PopHorn

ABSTRACT

This invention is a convertible container with the primary objective of providing a commercially viable container for the vending/serving of popcorn or similar food products while easily being converted to a megaphone for voice amplification with promotional/advertising applications. The Pophorn is manufactured from a single sheet of printable yet grease and moisture resistant material, which is die cut and glued, with a rigid double layer spine over it&#39;s entire length for support as a function of a continuation of the complimentary handle of the container/megaphone.

BACKGROUND ART

My invention is superior to prior art in a number of ways;

U.S. Pat. No. 4,613,012 (Mueller) is a megaphone formed of a single sheet of “semi-rigid material” but is bettered by the Pophorn in that Mueller requires a degree of assembly before use, which is time consuming for the vendor and provides for less structural strength and integrity. The Pophorn requires no assembly, in that it is glued along a double layer spine which runs the entirety of the megaphone that delivers flat, ready for use. Also Mueller is suited solely for voice amplification, being unusable as a food service/dispensing container because of the lack of the strong, glued, double walled spine the Pophorn enjoys. Also, Mueller does not address the problems of moisture and grease transvercing the megaphone from the interior to the exterior, which would spoil any promotional/advertising characteristics printed on the exterior surface. The Pophorn employs a SBS Poly One Side material which is moisture and grease resistant while being FDA approved for food use, thus protecting outer promotional/advertising material. Mueller could not be used in the same promotional/advertising manner as that of the Pophorn since the SBS Poly One Side material did not exist at the time of the Mueller patent.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,507,843 (Wheeler) is a megaphone for food vending/dispensing. Although the handle for Wheeler is a glued double thickness for structure and strength, the gluing flap area of the handle does not extend to the very tip, as does the gluing flap area of the Pophorn (FIG. 1, 29). This lack of extending the gluing flap to the very tip creates a weakness and possible failure of the containers tip cone to hold heavier and finer materials. Furthermore, by having the glue flap area extend to the very tip with a notch for seperation independent from the handle structure, the Pophorns handle may be moved further away from the containers tip, thus allowing for a much larger mouth opening when removing the tip cone to convert to a megaphone. It is unclear as to whether Wheeler is held together solely via the gluing of the two handle panels or if there might exist an overlapping glue flap in the section referred to by Wheeler as the “tip section”. In either Wheeler scenario the Pophorn has an advantage. In the Wheeler case of gluing only under the handle, the handle must extend so near the “tip” to close the container during food storage that when Wheeler's tip cone section is “weakened and removed” to form the megaform, Wheeler's mouth opening would have to be relatively small in diameter. Since the Pophorn is glued in such a manner as to have gluing under both the handle area and the extended glue tab area near the tip, the Pophorn has a much larger mouth opening without compromising the overall structure when used for food service. Also with Wheeler being only glued in the handle area, the tip area would not be completely closed and supported, as it is for the Pophorn. In the second possibility, if Wheeler does include a glue flap which is used to secure the tip area, by Wheeler drawings this would form a double layered area at the tip that would have to be weakened and then torn to form the megaphone. This double layered area, even with perferrations, would be much more difficult to tear and remove. The Pophorn by design does not have any double layer areas to tear because of the notched design (FIG. 1, 30) of the glue flap area. Lastly, the Pophorn employs a Poly One Side SBS paperboard stock which is moisture and grease resistant, while being FDA approved for food use, thus protecting exterior promotional/advertising material surfaces. Wheeler could not be used in the same promotional/advertising manner as that of the Pophorn since the SBS Poly One Side material did not exist at the time of the Wheeler patent.

U.S. Pat. No. 1,613,001 Walter is a megaphone which features a pencil holder. The distinction of having pencil holder is irrelevant in regards to the Pophorn. Walter suffers from the same inadequacies as Mueller and Wheeler in accordance to use as a food service container in terms of construction and performance.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The Pophorn is a food service container that is designed to be both effective as a food service/dispensing container and as a promotional item in the form of a voice amplification megaphone, with a surface area suited for printing of advertising and promotional material. This invention is achieved through a single sheet of poly one side chip material which is printed one side, die cut, and glued to form a container with opposing ends; one end open with a square and/or octagonal cross section tapering down to a singular point, and with opposing edges which glue to form a handle and spine to provide superior support and performance for food dispensing, while the overall container formed enjoys a printable outer surface for advertising and/or promotions.

As for the Pophorn's handle and spine assembly designs (FIG. 1, 29), this structure glues along the entire length, thus forming a strong, dependable container while still having the ability to store in a flat configuration, with no assembly required at the time of use. The notch (FIG. 1, 30) separates the spine glue tab flap from the handle glue flap area for easy separation of the tip cone area from the main container body via the perforated weakness (FIG. 1, 18) without the need to tear a double layer of material.

In the practice and use of the device of this invention, indicia of advertising or promotions is imprinted on one surface of the construction material and is intended to be displayed on the exterior surface of the invention. Since the Pophorn is constructed of SBS Poly One Side material, with the poly one side oriented to the interior of the container, the Pophorn enjoys the unique advantage over all prior art in that the outer promotional/advertising material is protected from being spoiled or stained by moisture or grease passing through the container from the inner surface, due to the moisture and grease resistant properties of the SBS Poly One Side material. This moisture and grease resistant nature of the SBS Poly One Side material has the additional benefit to the Pophorn of protecting the Pophorn's overall structural integrity from the corruptive properties of moisture and/or grease to materials previously employed by previous art.

Having described only a typical preferred form and application of my invention, I do not wish to be limited or restricted to the specific details herein set forth but wish to reserve to myself any variations or modifications that may appear to those skilled in the art and fall within the scope of the following claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention showing it in a flat configuration, as stored and ready for use as a food service container.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the Pophorn configured as a megaphone with the lower cone section removed.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a blank from which this invention is constructed, in the unassembled condition, before gluing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 3; an article 4 of this invention in the unrolled blank condition, consists of a planar sample of semi rigid, pliable, SBS Poly One Side material or other material with similar rigidity and properties, with or without similar water and grease resistant properties as SBS Poly One Side. In the blank schematic of FIG. 3, this invention is shown having opposing ends articles 5 & 6, with opposing edges articles 7 & 8. Articles 9, 10, 11, 12, & 13 indicate areas of weakening in the form of score lies from article 6 to the vertex article 33, along radial vertices to aide in the deployment of the invention from the flat ready state into the food container application. This deployment is further aided by four additional weakening scores articles 14,15,16, & 17 with extend partially from the article 6 edge to approximately one third the distance to article 5, on radial vertices from article 33. Article 18 is a line of perforation, which is used to weaken the overall structure of the invention when removing the end tip cone defined as article 34 for conversion of the invention from a food service container to a megaphone. Article 19 is a die cut open space that after assembly, serves as a handle grip area for both the food container and the megaphone. An article 20 identifies the unique notch design which interrupts the end handle glue spine area article 21, thus allowing easy conversion of the entire structure from a food container to a megaphone without the need to tear through two layers of glued material while still providing full support and closure along the entire handle glue flap area article 21.

Referring to FIG. 2; An article 24 indicates the invention deployed in a megaphone configuration. An article 23 indicates the invention's handle opening once glued, suitable for gripping by a hand. An article 22 indicates the handle structure formed once the invention is glue and ready for use. Articles 14,15,16, and 17 are score lines which may come into use to give the invention a more rounded appearance once food products are introduced into the horn.

Referring to FIG. 1; An article 29 indicates the handle glue tab flap, after the invention is folded and glued from the planar state of FIG. 3. Of particular interest is the fact that the nature of the structure of article 30 in it's relation to the handle glue flap article 29 creates a glued, double layered spine which both supports and entirely closes the invention over the inventions entire length while still allowing for the seperation of the tip cone article 31 without the necessity to tear through multiple layers of material. Article 31 indicates a unique design property of the invention which allows for the separation of the closed end article 31 of the invention from the main container body.

Having described only a typical preferred form and application of my invention I do not wish to be limited or restricted to the specific details herein set forth but wish to reserve to myself any variations or modifications that may appear to those skilled in the art and fall within the scope of the following claims. 

1. I claim my invention is a container of the characteristic described compromising a single sheet of flexible, printable, moisture and grease resistant material which may be die cut to roughly a triangular form, scored, and glued along attached flaps located on two adjacent sides to form substantially a cone like structure with a closed, pointed lower end and a wide open upper end, with an overall polygonal cross section sealed along a glued flap which is both structural in the closing of the invention but also practical in terms of serving as a handle.
 2. I claim that my invention is intended to store flat, then be easily expanded without assembly to serve as a food product container which may also be converted into a megaphone for voice amplification.
 3. I claim my invention enjoys a unique handle glue flap design which provides overall structural strength through a double thickness of material while allowing for the easy separation of the closed end tip cone from the main body by means of a unique notch design, without the need of tearing through a double layer of material.
 4. I claim my invention, being made of SBS Poly One Side material, is unique in providing a container of the nature described while allowing moisture and grease resistance with the added durability of the Poly material.
 5. I claim that because of the polygonal panels inherent to the nature of my inventions design coupled with the moisture and grease resistant nature of the SBS Poly One Side material, which enjoys a fully printable reverse side from that of the Poly side, and that with this printable side being oriented towards the exterior, the invention provides an exceptional indicia for advertising or promotions while being protected from being spoiled or stained by moisture or grease passing through the container from the inner surface. 